Pennant dragonfly
Click for a larger size and more clarity.
As I walked from one large stand of sunflowers to another two days ago, I noticed a dragonfly perched on a dry stalk on higher ground nearby. I put on my Canon 70–200mm telephoto lens and 1.4x converter to take a series of shots looking somewhat upward at the dragonfly. In this picture I positioned myself in such a way that the insect, which I take to be a pennant dragonfly, appeared against a patch of blue sky rather than against the clouds that you can see in yesterday’s picture of the sunflower colony.
© 2011 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Great shot – love the colors and the fine detail.
Mike
June 26, 2011 at 7:20 AM
Thanks, Mike. I had to turn off the lens’s autofocus because it kept focusing on the dragonfly’s body or wings rather than its head. I learned and practiced photography with manual-focus cameras, and focusing manually is still sometimes the only way to go.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 8:46 AM
I must say that it is a great shot, the angle makes it great! Phil.
Phil
June 26, 2011 at 7:01 PM
Thanks. What can you expect from a former math teacher if not angles?
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 8:28 PM
I love taking photos of dragonflies; they can be such a challenge. Yours is a beauty! I just took photos of the same kind of dragonfly this morning; I’ll be posting the pix in my blog this week.
Texas Susan
June 26, 2011 at 9:37 AM
Thanks, Texas Susan. It’s good to hear from a fellow dragonflyer. Yes, dragonflies can be a challenge to photograph, but I’ve noticed that even when I scare one away, if I sit still it often comes back to the same perch and I can keep on taking pictures.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 10:09 AM
Drool.
sarah
June 26, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Thanks, Sarah. I like your succinct comment.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 10:19 AM
The colors are sunflower colors… great composition. I’m used to the blue and purple colored dragonflies that hover over my garden pond.
aliceflynn
June 26, 2011 at 12:48 PM
I’m glad you like this “sunflower dragonfly.” I see that you’re in Montana, a place from which I’ve found quite a few nature blogs recently. Welcome to Texas, where there are hundreds of species of dragonflies and damselflies.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 1:07 PM
This is an amazing photo. I’m glad I am 5’6″, and not .5″ x .7″…
muse217
June 26, 2011 at 2:11 PM
Thanks for enjoying the photo. You’re right to be grateful for being of human size. I’ve seen a dragonfly lunge out, grab a flying insect, and devour it forthwith. Maybe in some future entry I’ll post a picture of that.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 4:18 PM
After I have chased butterflies with my camera today, I feel I am just way too slow to catch something winged on file.
But it is obviously possible. With a lot more patience and expertise than I have.
The photo has amazing detail and great colours.
sanetes
June 26, 2011 at 2:11 PM
Glad you like the detail and colors. I’ve found that some insects let you get a lot closer than others. Because I used a telephoto for this picture, I didn’t have to get as close as I would with my 100mm macro lens.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 4:22 PM
This is exquisite.
Kathryn
June 26, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Thanks, Kathryn. The picture owes a lot to the veination in the subject’s wings, which is itself exquisite.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 4:28 PM
The details on the wing are amazing! I love the angle, did you get on the ground to catch it in this pose?
annejutras
June 26, 2011 at 7:55 PM
I agree: the reticulation in the wings is wonderful. The dragonfly was slightly above my eye level, but I knelt and also sat on the ground to increase the upward angle. Over the years I’ve taken various pictures of dragonflies and damselflies from above and from the side, but I think this was the first time from below.
Steve Schwartzman
June 26, 2011 at 8:34 PM
Nice!
montucky
June 26, 2011 at 11:39 PM
Thank you.
Steve Schwartzman
June 27, 2011 at 12:15 AM
What a unique angle! My first impression was, ‘a dragonfly pole-vaulter?’
Watching Seasons
June 27, 2011 at 1:30 PM
A pole-sitter, in any case. The upward angle is a first for me, as far as I can remember.
Steve Schwartzman
June 27, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Great picture! I love the colors.
niki
August 5, 2011 at 1:25 PM
I hope the colors made you exhale joy. (Sorry that I don’t read Romanian.)
Steve Schwartzman
August 5, 2011 at 1:59 PM
This photo is absolutely stunning. The colors and texture showed up brilliantly!
mthoffman
October 24, 2011 at 2:30 PM
Thank you. I’ll agree with everything you’ve said.
Steve Schwartzman
October 24, 2011 at 2:41 PM
[…] a pennant dragonfly […]
Fiddlehead fasciation « Portraits of Wildflowers
March 6, 2012 at 5:40 AM
Beautiful!
Jo Woolf
June 22, 2012 at 7:02 AM
Thanks, Jo. It was a great opportunity and I took advantage of it.
Steve Schwartzman
June 22, 2012 at 7:18 AM
An absolute beauty!
marksshoesbyevamarks
August 29, 2014 at 9:45 PM
You’ll get no disagreement from me.
Steve Schwartzman
August 29, 2014 at 9:49 PM
That is a beautiful and clear shot. Thanks for your info.
navasolanature
September 1, 2014 at 12:54 AM
You’re welcome. Dragonflies are fun to photograph.
Steve Schwartzman
September 1, 2014 at 6:34 AM